Method and apparatus for knitting a net fabric

ABSTRACT

A method and apparatus for knitting a circular weft knit fabric composed of helically knitted courses. The stitch wales of the fabric are interconnected only by sinker loops located at predetermined points along the wales so that the latter can separate from each other between the sinker loops to form the orifices of the net fabric. At predetermined courses during the knitting of the fabric sinker loops extend around pairs of consecutive needles while jacks coact therewith to retain sinker loops at locations determined by the pattern mechanism around the pairs of adjoining wales with at least some of the loops being knitted with subsequently knit stitches of the wales. The apparatus includes between each pair of consecutive needles a pair of jacks having upper operating tips and longitudinally movable with respect to the needles to bring about the proper passing of the sinker loops around the pair of consecutive needles and thus around a pair of wales respectively knit thereby, so that in this way during subsequent knitting of loops through the sinker loops the interknitting of the sinker loops and the wale stitches can be achieved.

limited States Patent [191 Roque 1 Apr. 10, 1973 METHOD AND APPARATUSFOR KNITTING A NET'FABRIC Ramon Masriera'Roque, Calle San Esteban, 53Malgrat, Barcelona, Spain [76] Inventor:

1968, abandoned.

[52] US. Cl ..66/95 [51] Int. Cl. 15/02 [58] Field of Search ..66/95,198

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 846,353 3/1907 Scott..66/198 846,429 3/ 1907 Scott 1 ..66/ 198 981,318 1/1911 Scott ..66/951,982,257 11/1934 Levin ..66/95 1,987,091 1/1935 Wildt et a1 ....66/95 X2,014,132 9/1935 Holmes ....66/95 X 2,657,561 11/1953 Saunders ..66/95 XFOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 850,251 0/ 1939 France ..66/95 850,2522/ 1939 France ..66/95 0/1898 Great Britain ..66/95 2/ 1934 GreatBritain ..66/95 Primary Examiner-Ronald Feldbaum Attomey-Steinberg &Blake ABSTRACT A method and apparatus for knitting a circular weft knitfabric composed of helically knitted courses. The stitch wales of thefabric are interconnected only by sinker loops located at predeterminedpoints along the wales so that the latter can separate from each otherbetween the sinker loops to form the orifices of the net fabric. Atpredetermined courses during the knitting of the fabric sinker loopsextend around pairs of consecutive needles while jacks coact therewithto retain sinker loops at locations determined by the pattern mechanismaround the pairs of adjoining wales with at least some of the loopsbeing knitted with subsequently knit stitches of the wales. Theapparatus includes between each pair of consecutive needles a pair ofjacks having upper operating tips and longitudinally movable withrespect to the needles to bring about the proper passing of the sinkerloops around the pair of consecutive needles and thus around a pair ofwales respectively knit thereby, so that in this way during subsequentknitting of loops through the sinker loops the interknitting of thesinker loops and the wale stitches can be achieved.

7 Claims, 20 Drawing Figures PAINTED APR 1 OEUYS sum 1 OF 6 IIII AIIIIIINVENTOR. RAMON MASRIERA ROQUE ATTORNEYS PAIENI nm 1 0 1213 F/GZ FIG. 8

SHEET 2 UF 6 INVENTOR. RAMON MASRIERA ROQUE ATTORNEYS PA ENnn m3.726.112

SHEU & UF 6 VENTOR. RAMON MA ERA ROQUE ATTORNEYS PATENTEDAPRIOISB3,726,112

sum 5 OF 6 ENTOR. RAMON MAS RA ROQUE ATTORNEYfi PATENTED 3.726.112

SHEET 8 OF 6 INVENTOR. RAMON MASRIERA ROGUE ATTORNEYS METHOD ANDAPPARATUS FOR KNITTING A NET FABRIC CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATEDAPPLICATION This application is a continuation-in-part of co-pendingapplication Ser. No. 780,433, filed Dec. 2, 1968 now abandoned.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to net fabricsas well as to a method and apparatus for knitting such fabrics.

The presently known methods and apparatus for producing net fabrics byknitting are incapable or producing the appearance of an actual netstructure. The primary cause of this letter disadvantage resides in thefact that the operation of taking up loops is performed by jacks locatedon a disc or plate and arranged angularly with respect to the needles.Because of the particular distribution and arrangement of the needlesand jacks, the known methods and apparatus limit the pattern to thosewhich can be achieved by groups of needles generally arranged in pairs.Thus, for example, a pair of adjacent needles can support a loop andproduce effects with orifices while the needles adjacent to the latterpair of adjoining needles are incapable of carrying out loop-retainingactions, so that there necessarily remains adjoining linear sectionswithout any possibility of having orifices formed therein. As a resultthe characteristic patterns which can be produced with the presentlyknown methods and apparatus unavoidably provide a vertically extendingpattern appearance having interruptions or discontinuities which becomelocated in an undesireable manner between parallel zones where theorifices of the net-stimulating fabric are located.

Such net effects require, in order to have a desired attractiveappearance, two or more consecutive sinker loops which must be tied inthe usual course. The presently known methods and apparatus thus carryout these loop formations, once, twice, or three times, or they onlyturn the sinker loops on the pair of needles, in the course in which thelatter knit, which normally occurs only once, in such a course,resulting in an appearance where a part of the loop floats.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is accordingly a primary object of thepresent invention to provide a method and apparatus for manufacturing aweft knit fabric while avoiding the above drawbacks.

In particular, it is an object of the invention to provide a method andapparatus for knitting a fabric which will have a net appearance moreclosely simulating a true net effect than has hitherto been possible.

Furthermore, it is an object of the invention to provide a method andapparatus for manufacturing a fabric having wales retained atpredetermined locations by sinker loops distributed according to apredetermined pattern longitudinally along the wales with these loopsbeing interknit with stitches of the wales so that the loops are tightand are not in the form of loose yarns.

In accordance with the present invention, pairs of jacks are locatedwith respect to the needles of a needle cylinder in such a way that apair of jacks are situated between each pair of consecutive needles sothat each needle has assigned to it one jack on its right and one jackon its left, or in other words individual pairs of jacks respectivelyprecede and follow each needle of the series with such a pair of jackscoacting only with a given needle. Therefore, two jacks are situatedbetween each two consecutive needles, and as a result of thisarrangement it becomes possible to turn the sinker loops between twoconsecutive needles not only in any desired manner but alsosimultaneously so as to permit knitting to be obtained on the very sameneedle in a manner which has not been possible with presently knownmethods and apparatus.

As a result of the latter method and apparatus, the achieved effect isfully analogous to that which would be achieved if each needle hadoperated on its. own individual yarn instead of feeding the same yarn toall of the needles.

With the method of the invention each sinker loop which retains a pairof adjoining wales turns or passes around a pair of consecutive needles,with the sinker loop being taken up a second time if the loop formationis to be repeated. There is thus eliminated any presence of floatingyarns since all of the loops are tied in each formation by the knittingof the last course or loop.

There are at the present time certain known machines of relatively largediameter, as well as circular knitting machines for knitting socks andstockings, which knit a fabric which in some respects is similar to thatachieved with the process of the present invention, but the effectobtained by disposing loops around two consecutive needlesnecessitatesthat these operations be carried out on different cylindersand needle beds, while according to the method of the invention and withthe apparatus of the invention only a single needle cylinder isrequired, without requiring any disc for the disposition ofcorresponding jacks, so that stockings and socks can be obtained withthe structure and method of the present invention having all of theproperties or characteristics desired and known up to the present timeas well as the additional advantage of a predetermined net effectaccording to the selected design.

As compared with net fabric stockings presently known, the presentinvention provides the advantage of being capable of producing thestockings with heels, toes, and welt edges and the like, while at thesame time the net fabric has the desired appearance and effect.

The mechanism which forms part of the present invention and which isused for carrying out the method of the invention includes a needlecylinder supporting needles for longitudinal movement, these needlesbeing uniformly spaced apart from each other. Between each pair ofsuccessive needles there are a pair of jacks, so that there are as manypairs of jacks as there are needles and the jacks of each pair arearranged in a symmetrically opposed manner in such a way that with thisspecial arrangement of the invention it is possible to knit in a mannerachieving a net fabric without having any discontinuous fabric portionsor surfaces between corresponding orifices of the net fabric. Thus, themechanism of the invention includes a special arrangement of jacks bymeans of which it becomes possible to achieve the outstanding results ofthe invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS The invention is illustrated by way ofexample in the accompanying drawings which form part of this applicationand in which:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary schematic representation of cam cylinder of thecircular knitting machine for producing the knit articles, this part ofthe machine including the mechanism of the invention with FIG. 1 havingidentified therein those cams which achieve the vertical movement of thejacks of the invention;

FIG. 2 shows in side elevation a conventional needle;

FIG. 3 illustrates in opposed positions, respectively a pair of jacks ofthe invention shown in side view;

FIG. 4 shows the jacks of FIG. 3 as they are arranged with respect toeach other in their operating positions;

FIG. 5 is a schematic representation of part of the needle bedillustrating how the pairs of jacks are arranged with respect to theneedles;

FIG. 6 shows in a manner similar to FIG. 3, a pair of jacks which have asomewhat different construction from the jacks of FIG. 3;

FIG. 7 illustrates the operating positions of the jacks of FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is a side elevation of a conventional sinker used with themechanism of the invention;

FIG. 9 is a representation of the fabric formed with the method andapparatus of the invention;

FIGS. 10-13 respectively illustrate in a schematic manner differentphases of the sequence of operations which take place during knitting;and

FIGS. 14-20 illustrate in a step-by-step manner how the Wale-connectingloops are formed with the method and apparatus of the invention toachieve the fabric of FIG. 9.

DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Thus, referring to FIG. 1, cams 1,2, 3, 4 are the con ventional cams used during plain knitting operationsin a well known manner. Cams 5 and 6 act also in a well known manner,instead of cams 1 and 4, during the reverse strokes when alternative orreciprocating knitting operations are carried out in connection withknitting of heels. The path 7 indicates the conventional path taken bythe needle butts.

Those cams which are incorporated in accordance with the invention arethe cams 8-12. The path 13 represents the path taken by the butts of thespecial jacks of the invention when these jacks are normally held at alevel where they are at rest. The cam 9 serves to raise the jacks fromthe inactive level 13 up to the active level 14 where they are situatedto be raised by the cam 10 when the needles are lowered after loopformation (cam 4), this upward movement of the jacks being followed by adownward movement brought about by the cam 11 simultaneously with anupward movement imparted to the needles by the additional cam 12 whichis required to bring about the movement of the needles and jacksrelative to each other as described. The cam 8 serves to return all ofthe jacks to the normal level where their butts are situated along thepath 13. Cams 8 and 9 can be switched on and off in precisely the sameway as is already known for stitchforming cams.

As may be seen from FIG. 3, the jacks 33 and 33a, illustrated thereinare arranged in pairs 33, 33a, with each jack having an upper operatingtip 34 at its upper elongated operated region, this tip extending froman inclined ramp edge 35. A spring 36 is fixed to each of the jacks 33and 33a, and each of the jacks has a lower operating butt 37 with whichthe cams coact.

Thus, as may be seen from FIG. 4, where the jacks are shown in theiroperative positions in side by side relation, the upper operating endregions of the jacks are spaced from each other as a result of theinclined part of the jacks connecting their upper linearly extendingregions and their elongated intermediate and lower linearly extendingregions. The springs 36 terminate at their bottom regions in outwardlydiverging portions forming with the inclined intermediate portions ofthe jack bodies the downwardly directed spaces which are substantiallyof the configuration of an inverted V. It is to be noted that the upperelongated portions of the springs 36 are of an elongated planarconfiguration and are fastened to similar outer side surfaces of thepair of coacting jacks 33 and 33a.

FIGS. 6 and 7 illustrate jacks which are of a somewhat differentconstruction from those shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. Thus, the jacks 40 and40a shown in FIGS. 6 and 7 also terminate at their top ends in operatingtips 41 which extend from inclined ramp portions 42, respectively. Inthis case also, the upper portions are in the form of blades joined tothe longer intermediate and lower portions of the jacks by inclinedintermediate portions, such as the portion 45 indicated in FIG. 6, withthe inclination of these portions 45being indicated in FIG. 7 where thejacks are shown in their operative side-by-side relation. Moreover, itwill be noted that those surfaces of the blade portions 43 which are onthe same side of the jacks as the butts 47 have not only the inclinedramp portions 42, respectively, but also the step configurationproviding the notches 44. As is apparent from FIG. 7, with thisembodiment the outer side surfaces of the upper blade portions 43, atthe side thereof opposed to the inclined portions 45, are also steppedso that the blades provide outer surfaces inclined oppositely to theinclination of the intermediate portions 45 connecting the blades to theremainder of the jack bodies, in a manner similar to the downwardly andoutwardly diverging ends of the springs 36 of FIGS. 3 and 4.

It is furthermore to be noted that in FIGS. 3 and 4 the upper bladeportion has its elongated widest part connected to the relatively narrowshank of the jack not only by the inclined portion but also by thedownwardly tapering portion shown in FIG. 3 just above the narrowintermediate straight body sections of the jacks, and in the same way inFIGS. 6 and 7, the jacks 40 and 40a have the portions 46 which are widerthan the remaining elongating portions of the jack shanks 40 and 40awhich extend below theportions 46. The butts 47 correspond to the butts37 and are acted on in the same way by the cams.

It is to be noted that in order to achieve the operating position shownin FIG. 4' the pair of butts 37 of FIG. 3 are turned toward the viewerof FIG. 3 and then the elongated narrow shank portions of the jacks areplaced in engagement with each other, and in the same way in the case ofFIGS. 6 and 7 the butts 47 of FIG. 6

are both turned simultaneously toward the viewer of FIG. 6 and then theelongated narrow shank portions of the butts are placed in engagementwith each other to achieve the structure illustrated in FIG. 7.

FIG. 2 illustrates a conventional knitting needle 38. These needles aredistributed uniformly about the axis of the circular knitting machine ingrooves of the needle cylinder which extend parallel to the axisthereof, and the jacks of the invention are similarly guided in grooveswhich are situated between those which receive the needles. Therelationship between the jacks of FIGS. 3 and 4 and the needles 38 isshown in FIG. 5 from which it is clear that a pair of the coactingjacks, as illustrated in FIG. 4, is located between each pair ofsuccessive needles 38, so that each needle 38 will have on one side ajack 33 and on the opposite side a jack 33a with which needle coacts. Itis to be understood that when the jacks of FIGS. 6 and 7 are used theywill be arranged with respect to the needles 38 in the same way as thejacks 33 and 33a shown in FIG. 5.

FIG. 8 shows a conventional sinker 39 and these sinkers are arranged ina conventional manner with respect to the needles so as to participatein the knitting operations therewith. 4 In the schematic illustrationsof FIGS. 10-12 is structural supporting part 48 of the needle cylinderis shown, so that the manner in which the sinkers 39 and needles 38 aresupported and guided is apparent from FIGS. 10-12. These features are inany event well known in the art.

FIG. 9 illustrates how the needles 38 coact with the knit fabric. Thisknit fabric includes the individual stitch wales 23 made up of thecolumns of stitches 21 each of which extends through the previously knitstitch in a well known manner, and these individual stitch wales areinterconnected at selected locations therealong by the sinker loops 20,indicated in FIG. 9 also, the needle 38, the sinker 39, and the jacks ofthe invention all providing their influence on the knit structure suchas the sinker loop and the stitches 21. FIG. 13 shows how a sinker loop20 extends around a pair of successive needles during part of theknitting operations.

Thus, the knitting action is carried out by directing a sinker loop 20around a pair of adjoining needles 38, as is apparent from FIG. 13, andas is indicated in FIG. 9. The sinker loop may be secured around thepair of adjoining needles, once, twice, or three consecutive times, theparticular arrangement and number of sinker loops being selected withrespect to the groups of needles in accordance with the formations ofthe desired design, and the latter desired design is set into themachine in the well known way through a suitable pattern chain structureor the like the buttons of which will actuate pattern jacks which inturn will coact with the operating jacks and-needles to causepreselected needles and jacks to participate in the knitting operations,as is well known.

A basic cycle or sequence of operations is commenced with acorresponding jack 33 in its lower inoperative position with relation tothe part 48 of the cylinder, the needle 38 and sinker 39 at this timebeing in their initial positions. Then, the corresponding needle andsinker remain in these positions while the jack 33 is raised to bringabout the uptake of the corresponding sinker loop 20 whereupon thecoacting needle carries out the formation of a loop and the jacks arebrought to an elevation at which their corresponding selector leavesthem with the corresponding sinker loops remaining retained by eachretaining jack. Finally, the needle 8 reaches the lower end of its pathof travel, thus resulting in the formation of a new loop, while thecorresponding jack starts to rise, in preparation for the next positionof the needle, with the respective loop retained by the latter jack.

During the successive cycles when the above operations are repeated ateach sinker loop formation, the apparatus and method of the inventionbring about the turning of a sinker loop on the pair of adjoiningneedles, carrying out again the action of taking up this loop in thosecases where loop formation is required to be repeated. It is in this waythat the result is achieved of eliminating floating yarns, since theloop yarns are retained at each of the basic knitting operations withall of the previous passes being finally retained by the last loop. Thesinker loops 20 are knit with the stitches 19 of the wales in a mannerachieving sinker loops therebetween with the basic operations for eachwale being carried out by a single needle. Thus, with the apparatus andmethod of the invention the result is the same as that which would havebeen achieved had each needle operated only with its own individualyarn, instead of the illustrated arrangement of the invention where allneedles are fed with the same yarn.

In this way the columns of loops which form the stitch wales areinterconnected at selected locations therealong by the sinker loopswhich are intimately knit into the article, so that the stitches of thewales situated between the sinker loops are separate from each other toform orifices of the weft knit fabric while at the same time there areno loose or floating yarn portions at the loops. The upper operatingtips of the jacks are shaped so as to be capable of introducingthemselves behind the loops retained by the needles, and the jacksdisplace the loops and arrange them around the pairs of adjoiningneedles with the jacks being longitudinally displaceable with respect tothe needles so as to cause the retained sinker loops to pass over theheads of the needles. Then the needles knit the loops of the followingcourse directly through the retained sinker loops. These loop-retainingjacks are thus in the form of elongated laminar elements which slide ingrooves of the needle cylinder and they have their upper operating endswhich terminate in the tips. As may be seen particularly from FIGS.10-13, while the upper operating tips of the jacks are situated at thesame side of the needle which is directed away from the hook thereof,the downwardly inclined ramp progressing downwardly from the upper tipof the jack extends to the other side of the needle where the headthereof is located with the front edge or rib of the upper bladeactually situated beyond and on the same side of the needle as the hookthereof. The springs 36 of the jacks 33 and 33a and the correspondingparts of the jacks 40 and 40a normally bear against the needles whilebeing capable of being cleared by them so as to displace the retainedsinker loop to the opposite side of the needle. Thus, the springs 36extend in a direction opposite from the direction of the tips 34 havingtheir upper portions coplanar with the lateral outer side surfaces ofthe upper blade portions of the jacks with the concavity of the springs36 directed toward the side where the fabric forms and with the lowerends of the springs 36 diverging from the inclined portions whichinterconnect the upper blades with the lower shank portions of the jackswhich engage each other in the manner shown in FIG. 4. Thus, under thesediverging end portions it is possible for the head of the needle to beintroduced to pass into the arched portion during upward movement of theneedle with respect to the jack.

FIGS. 14-20 illustrate in a step-by-step manner how the wale-connectingloops are formed with the method and and apparatus of the invention toachieve the fabric of FIG. 9. During the following description it willbe found that the needles 15 of these sketches correspond to the needles8 while the sinker 16 is a conventional sinker corresponding to thesinker 39 of FIG. 8. The special jacks 17 of the invention, which havebeen chosen for illustration in the sketches, correspond to theembodiments of the jacks illustrated in FIGS. 6 and 7. It is apparentthatthe arrangement of the jacks 17 thereof is precisely identical withthe arrangement shown in FIG. according to which each gap between eachpair of successive needles-accommodates a pair of the special jacks ofthe invention, and of course there is one sinker between each twoconsecutive needles.

Thus each needle is situated between a pair of the special jacks of theinvention.

, Referring now to FIGS. 14-20, during plain knitting operations thejacks 17 are held at the level where their butts will be situated at thepath 13 of FIG. 1, and when held at this level the jacks are lower thanthe elevations thereof illustrated in FIGS. 18-20. When the sinker loopfor interconnecting a pair of wales is to be formed with the method andapparatus of the invention, the jacks 17 are raised so that their buttswill be situated along the path 14 of FIG. 1, as referred to above. Whenthe jacks 17 are raised to this elevation, the parts will havewith'respect to each other the position illustrated in FIG. 14. When theneedles are raised they will assume the position shown in FIG. 14 wherethey take the new yarn 18 in order to form additional stitches in thewales. The position of the components with the jacks 17 raised to theiroperating levels and with the needles raised to the loop-taking positionis illustrated in FIG. 14.

The cams will then act to lower the needles, with the butts thereofbeing engaged by the right edge of cam 4 in FIG. 1 at this time, so thatat this time the needle butts move along the path portion 19 indicatedin FIG. 1. Thus, the needles are lowered while simultaneously the jacks17 are raised by the cam 10. In this way the needles form the new sinkerloops 20 illustrated in FIG. 15, these loops extending through thepreviously formed stitches 21 of the wales, with the latter stitches 21of course being held by the needles 15. However, it will be noted thatthe portion 22 of the sinker loop is caught by the tips 171 of the jacksof the invention so that these tips enter into the sinker loop to extendthe yarn portion 22 which joins the pair of adjacent wales 23illustrated in FIG. 15. At this time it will be noted that the portion24 of the sinker loop which interconnects the wales is free andcorresponds to the usual courses encountered in plain knitting.

When the needle butts have completed their movement along the pathportion 19 of FIG. 1, the jacks 17 have been raised to their highestelevation by the cam 10, so that the parts will now have the positionshown in FIG. 16. Thus, it will be seen that during the continued upwardmovement of the jacks 17 from the elevation of FIG. 14, through theelevation of FIG. 15, up to the elevation of FIG. 16, the divergingsymmetrical wings 172 of the jacks spread the side portions 221 of thesinker loop apart from each other to a distance sufficient to enable thepair of illustrated needles 15 to move up into this spread loop. In FIG.15, it will be noted, the side portions 221 of the sinker loop are notspread apart from each other by a distance great enough to enable theneedles 15, when they subsequently move upwardly, to enter into thesinker loop. Thus, the wings 172, corresponding to the portions 6 ofFIG. 4 and the steps of FIG. 7, enlarge the loop to a magnitudesufficient to receive simultaneously the pair of needles 15 between thepair of jacks 17 are located.

With the parts in this condition, when the needles 15 are subsequentlyraised, as illustrated in FIG. 17, by the first step of cam 12 of FIG.1, the needles will enter into the sinker loop. During the second stageof needle raising by cam 12 of FIG. 1, the cam 11 operates tosimultaneously lower the jacks 17, so that they reach the elevationindicated in FIG. 18, and thus it is'the needles 15 which now retain thesinker loop.

These operations may be repeated, in given cases according to theresults which are desired and the yielding properties of the yarn. Thus,FIG. 19 shows the formation of a sinker loop which extends along thewales through three courses. A comparison of FIG. 9 with FIG. 18 willshow how the above-described features achieve the fabric of FIG. 9 tothe method of the invention.

FIG. 20 illustrates how the three-course sinker loop of FIG. 19 is castoff so that the normal knitting operations can then proceed until. thenext sinker loop of the invention is formed.

Of course, the jacks and needles are actuated by known selectionmechanisms which will achieve a desired pattern. Also it is to be notedthat the patternselecting mechanism can be set to achieve with themethod and apparatus of the invention not only the sinker loops of theinvention at any desired location along a pair of adjoining wales,between the latter, but also it is possible to simultaneously achieveloops of the invention which are separated from each other in thedirection of the courses only by one wale, so that with the method andapparatus of the invention it is possible to achieve a single walesituated between a pair of sinker loops of the invention.

It will be noted that with the method and apparatus of the invention,the resulting knitted fabric not only has the sinker loops situated atthe places where the adjoining wales are interconnected with the sinkerloops interknit with the stitches of the wales, but in addition thereare groups of retained sinker loops accumulating at the end of eachorifice defined between the adjoining wales to provide an exceedinglystrong structure for the fabric.

What is claimed is:

1. In a knitting mechanism for knitting a circular weft knit fabric, aseries of longitudinally displaceable cylinder needles to which yarn isfed, said needles knitting from the yarn wales in the form of columns ofstitches arranged with the columns situated beside each other and withthe stitches of each column respectively passing through previously knitstitches thereof, and a pair of jacks situated between each pair ofsuccessive cylinder needles so that each pair of jacks are respectivelyadjacent a pair of successive cylinder needles, said jacks respectivelyhaving tips capable of entering through sinker loops retained by saidneedles and said jacks respectively having at the regions of said tipsmeans for elongating the sinker loops in the same general direction assaid wales and for widening the elongated sinker loops only to an extendsufficient to displace them across the pair of needles from the sidesthereof in between which the pair of jacks are located to the sides ofthe needles opposed to the sides thereof between which said pair ofjacks are located, said jacks being longitudinally movable with respectto the needles to displace the sinker loops over heads of the needleswhile the latter knit stitches and loops of a subsequent course throughthe sinker loops.

2. The combination of claim 1 and wherein said jacks respectivelyconsist of elongated laminar elements guided for longitudinal slidingmovement in the grooves, of a needle cylinder and said jacksrespectively having operating ends in the form of tips situated withrespect to the needles at a location opposed to hooks of the needles,said tips extending from inclined rampforming edges of said jacksextending from said tips to the same side of the needles where the hooksthereof are located, said jacks respectively carrying at their sidefaces which are respectively directed toward the needles spring elementswhich normally press against said needles while being cleared by theneedles to displace the sinker loops to an opposite side of the needle.

3. The combination of claim 1 and wherein the means for displacing thesinker loops around the pair of needles consists of an elongated elasticelement fixed at one end to a side of each jack and extending from thelatter in a direction opposite to the direction which said I tip of eachjack extends, each elongated elastic element including a portioncoplanar with a lateral surface of the jack to which it is connected andhaving a concave surface directed toward the location where the fabricforms, and each element having a free end portion diverging from thelatter lateral surface and below which the head of a needle can beintroduced to pass into a retained mesh during upward movement of theneedle with respect to the jack.

4. The combination of claim 1 and wherein said jacks respectively havebutts adapted to coact with cams which control the movement of thejacks.

S. The combination of claim 4 and wherein a plurality of camsrespectively coact with the butts of said jacks for raising them to asinker-loop forming location and for lowering them into non-operativepositions, respectively.

6. The combination of claim 5 and wherein the pairs of jacksrespectively situated between the successive needles are associated witha selector mechanism controlled by the pattern controls of the machine,so that the jacks can be selectively maintained'out of operation orraised to the elevation of a lifting cam according to thepreselecteddesjgn.

7. The combination of claim 1 and wherein each ack has a flat elongatedportion and an inclined portion extending therefrom, an upper operatingend of each jack extending upwardly from inclined portion thereof andterminating in an operating tip with said operating end becominggradually wider downwardly from said tip and arranged in a plane normalto that in which a head of a coacting needle is located, so that thetips of each pair of jacks between each pair of successive needles arespaced from each other thus forming a rib arranged in a half-spaceopposite to that corresponding to the inclined plane of the unionbetween the operating end and the body of the jack, the connectingprofile being inclined from the widening portion of the operating endwith its corresponding tip, and said jacks respectively having actuatingbutts situated in the region of lower ends distant from said operatingends thereof.

1. In a knitting mechanism for knitting a circular weft knit fabric, aseries of longitudinally displaceable cylinder needles to which yarn isfed, said needles knitting from the yarn wales in the form of columns ofstitches arranged with the columns situated beside each other and withthe stitches of each column respectively passing through previously knitstitches thereof, and a pair of jacks situated between each pair ofsuccessive cylinder needles so that each pair of jacks are respectivelyadjacent a pair of successive cylinder needles, said jacks respectivelyhaving tips capable of entering through sinker loops retained by saidneedles and said jacks respectively having at the regions of said tipsmeans for elongating the sinker loops in the same general direction assaid wales and for widening the elongated sinker loops only to an extendsufficient to displace them across the pair of needles from the sidesthereof in between which the pair of jacks are located to the sides ofthe needles opposed to the sides thereof between which said pair ofjacks are located, said jacks being longitudinally movable with respectto the needles to displace the sinker loops over heads of the needleswhile the latter knit stitches and loops of a subsequent course throughthe sinker loops.
 2. The combination of claim 1 and wherein said jacksrespectively consist of elongated laminar elements guided forlongitudinal sliding movement in the grooves of a needle cylinder andsaid jacks respectively having operating ends in the form of tipssituated with respect to the needles at a location opposed to hooks ofthe needles, said tips extending from inclined ramp-forming edges ofsaid jacks extending from said tips to the same side of the needleswhere the hooks thereof are located, said jacks respectively carrying attheir side faces which are respectively directed toward the needlesspring elements which normally press against said needles while beingcleared by the needles to displace the sinker loops to an opposite sideof the needle.
 3. The combination of claim 1 and wherein the means fordisplacing the sinker loops around the pair of needles consists of anelongated elastic element fixed at one end to a side of each jack andextending from the latter in a direction opposite to the direction whichsaid tip of each jack extends, each elongated elastic element includinga portion coplanar with a lateral surface of the jack to which it isconnected and having a concave surface directed toward the locationwhere the fabric forms, and each element having a free end portiondiverging from the latter lateral surface and below which the head of aneedle can be introduced to pass into a retained mesh during upwardmovement of the needle with respect to the jack.
 4. The combination ofclaim 1 and wherein said jacks respectively have butts adapted to coactwith cams which control the movement of the jacks.
 5. The combination ofclaim 4 and wherein a plurality of cams respectively coact with thebutts of said jacks for raising them to a sinker-loop forming locationand for lowering them into non-operative positions, respectively.
 6. Thecombination of claim 5 and wherein the pairs of jacks respectivelysituated between the successive needles are associated with a selectormechanism controlled by the pattern controls of the machine, so that thejacks can be selectively maintained out of operation or raised to theelevation of a lifting cam according to the preselected design.
 7. Thecombination of claim 1 and wherein each jack has a flat elongatedportion and an inclined portion extending therefrom, an upper operatingend of each jack extending upwardly from inclined portion thereof andterminating in an operating tip with said operating end becominggradually wider downwardly from said tip and arranged in a plane normalto that in which a head of a coacting needle is located, so that thetips of each pair of jacks between each pair of successive needles arespaced from each other thus forming a rib arranged in a half-spaceopposite to that corresponding to the inclined plane of the unionbetween the operating end and the body of the jack, the connectingprofile being inclined from the widening portion of the operating endwith its corresponding tip, and said jacks respectively having actuatingbutts situated in the region of lower ends distant from said operatingends thereof.